OBJECTORS to an ambitious £100 million shopping complex in Shirley will be able to voice their concerns at a public inquiry tomorrow.

The inquiry into the compulsory purchase of properties and a footpath set to be swallowed up by the controversial Parkgate centre began last Thursday and is expected to run until Thursday, May 21, when Solihull Council will make its closing submissions.

There are 30 plots within the compulsory purchase order site and, while no homes are subject to the order, businesses along the Stratford Road will be.

The purchase order would mean landowners could have no choice but to give up their properties.

The Saracen's Head hotel, in Stratford Road, will not be subject to a CPO, but land adjacent to it will be as will the building which is currently the Bank of Ireland and nearby shops which include numbers 184,182,180, 174, 176 and 178 Stratford Road.

The inquiry, presided over by Government inspector Mary Travers, has already heard from Solihull Council's Paul Watson, director for regeneration and development, who said that the Heart of Shirley scheme was vital in order for the town to prosper and not fall into further decline.

Residents, local councillors and any other objectors will have their chance to speak out against the scheme tomorrow.

Some Shirley residents have expressed their concern about plans to close off a public footpath running through the park and replace it with another one.

Solihull Council said it has received 163 objections to the closure of the footpath and 17 objections to the CPOs.

Parkgate, which is scheduled to be open by Christmas 2010, is set to feature an Asda supermarket, cafes, shops, apartments and affordable housing.

The scheme by developer Shirley Advance has sparked protests, with some traders also issuing leaflets to shoppers asking them to object.